Dancing mouse to make millions

The adventures of a ballet-dancing mouse will soon capture youngsters' hearts - and hit their parents in the pocket.

Angelina Ballerina has been turned into an animated series by the makers of Bob the Builder.

With voices provided by Dame Judi Dench and her daughter Finty Williams, the 26 episodes will start on Children's ITV in October.

And if they prove as successful as the £100million Bob, then it will be a very happy ending for her British-based creators Helen Craig and Katharine Holabird.

Their story begins in the early 1980s when Miss Holabird was living in North London with her husband and two daughters.

'My little girls and their friends were mad about ballet and I was struck by the daily drama of their lives,' said Chicago-born Miss Holabird, now 53.

'The courage and determination it takes to be a ballerina impressed me, as did all the emotional upheavals behind the scenes.

Her husband set up a publishing company and she was introduced to Miss Craig, who lived nearby.

A former portrait photographer, she had taught herself to draw and illustrate children's books. Eventually, she formed a partnership with Miss Holabird.

'When Helen showed me her first sketches of Angelina Ballerina, I knew immediately that Angelina's spirit had found the right expression,' said the author.

Miss Craig said: 'I started drawing a mouse because it was my father's nickname for my mother. And mice are very expressive.'

Over the next few years, the two women produced eight books about Angelina. They failed to capture the public imagination in Britain but sold well in the U.S.

Eventually, HiT Entertainment which produces Bob the Builder took over their company and suddenly Angelina was big business.

The books have been translated into 17 languages and will be relaunched in Britain next month. And HiT has spent over £4million on the TV series. Associated products will make the little mouse a major brand name.

'It would be fair to say we are gobsmacked,' said Miss Holabird.

Miss Craig, 66, who now lives in Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, added: 'I didn't draw Angelina to be famous, I did it simply because I've always had to earn a living.'